Far From Home
by Precious Angel
Summary: Susan wants to forget her life in England, but she sees and hears reminders no matter where she goes.
1. Chapter 1

_For this the prompt was __**Reality**__, and I wrote this to be a prelude to a longer fic I plan on writing. Unlike my other ones, which are all just one shots, this one will eventually be continued. I know there are likely half a dozen or more stories of Susan eventually finding her way to Aslan's Country, some involving Caspian as well, but I want to do my own take on it as well. _

_I normally like to wait until I have a lot written before I do post, but fancied I would post this anyway, it could be a long haul on updating, seeing as I'm in a college course that requires a lot of typing (i swear I'm going to develop carpal tunnel syndrome at this rate). Either way, I hope you enjoy, and I hope to expand and have more chapters very soon._

_It goes without saying, I do not own the characters (except any that you do not recognize from the Narnia universe), and would never dream of trying to lay claim to them. I'm only having a bit of fun creatively._

This was her reality.

She really wasn't sure why that thought disheartened her at times. She'd always been a grounded, logical girl. Maybe not as logical as her cousin Eustace had been before her siblings Edmund and Lucy had gone to stay with his family years ago, but logical all the same.

Logically, she should be happy with her life. She had a good husband, a cute step son and a beautiful baby girl of her own. To anyone, Susan should be happy with this, but at times she was not. There were days she would walk down by the harbour pushing her daughter in her pram, and look sadly out at the water. Something about the ocean made her remember her late brothers and sister, as well as her parents, cousin and friends. She had come to Canada to leave that part of her life behind, but it had followed her across the Atlantic regardless.

Something about the ocean always made her remember her siblings, although she couldn't put a finger on it. They had never vacationed by the ocean as children, but all the same she could recall them laughing and playing in the waves on a sand beach. She remembered the ruins of a castle nearby, she could even remember looking out at that same ocean when the castle had been standing in its full glory. All of it felt so real, but she knew it was just a child's game. They must've made it up during the war, to amuse themselves whilst they'd stayed in the country during the war.

"Mother? We've been standing here for thirty minutes, may we go home now?" her step son, Thomas, said, tugging at her sleeve.

Susan sighed, and brought her mind back to the here and now. No point in dwelling on the past. "Yes, we should go since your father should be home soon Tu...Thomas."

As they walked back towards the house, she chastised herself for almost calling Thomas that silly name again. She was never sure where Lucy had come up with a silly name like Mr. Tumnus, but it had stuck and had become some imaginary friend to them all. Although Thomas did have wildly curly hair, just as Lucy had described her imaginary friend.

Mind you she'd had a harder time explaining away the day she'd accidently called her husband, Callum, by the name of Caspian last Christmas at a family party. She wasn't sure why she'd even called him that, she'd never been to the Caspian Sea in her life. But something about the way he'd smiled at her right then brought a picture to her mind of a young man, a prince if she remembered the story correctly, they'd made up and named Prince Caspian.

The way she'd pictured him, he'd been wonderfully handsome. Just the kind of prince any young girl would want. She could remember the last time she'd ever played that funny game, in which they bid the prince farewell, leaving him in charge of their fanciful country. In her mind he'd asked her to stay, had longed for her to stay and she had left him with a kiss.

Now that game was just a sad reminder of the life she'd had before the train crash that had killed her family. The reason she'd left England. She wanted to get away from all those painful memories, away from a place where she saw shadows of her siblings everywhere she went.

When they reached the house, Callum came out to greet them. Susan smiled at him as she leaned over to pick their daughter up in her arms. She smiled warmly at her daughter, she loved her with every fibre of her being, with her big brown eyes that reminded her so much of Edmund and soft blond hair like Peter.

It was her name that sometimes bothered Susan, something in the sound of it gave her the impression she was forgetting something, or someone. It was her husband's idea to name their baby girl Aislinn.

The name brought images to her mind of an enchanted land filled with dancing trees, fauns, dwarves, talking animals and so much more. A place she'd ruled as queen with her brothers and sister, and where they'd returned to help a wronged prince. She could hear Peter still asking her that fateful morning of the train crash if she even remembered Narnia at all. How she'd laughed at him for still believing in that silly game.

Now she regretted the way she'd acted, but she couldn't change the past. She had no idea why Peter thought that game they'd played was so important, nor did she care to attempt to remember. This was her reality now, and the enchanted land and prince were nothing more than fanciful dreams from her childhood.

~*~  
**TBC**  
~*~


	2. Chapter 2

Jade Whitly did not like her neighbour. There was something about the way Susan Bell, formally Susan Pevensie, carried herself that was offsetting. Her husband, George, always told her she was being foolish and to stop holding a grudge with the young woman for being 'from away'. He would then say technically Susan was an Island girl, only she was from the British Isles and not Prince Edward Island. This would only serve to annoy her more, and end with him being served his least favourite meal for supper.

She glanced across the park to see Susan sitting on a bench with her daughter wrapped up snugly in her pram, as Thomas glided across the frozen pond with his friends, playing a game of hockey. Susan seemed rather disinterested in the game itself, and was more content to stare aimlessly at the snow falling from the pale blue sky.

"You do realize you're wasting valuable energy hating a woman you barely know," George commented drily from where he stood by the ice, as a self appointed coach for the kids. "Unless, of course, the energy you spend hating her is keeping you warm in this cold weather."

He was rewarded with an icy glare from his wife, to which he simply shrugged his shoulders and went back to watching the boys play. He'd married Jade more for convenience than love, but he did find her antics amusing. She seemed to believe she had a right to lord over everyone she met, which wasn't making her many friends in the city. He didn't understand it, but left her to it. It gave her great pleasure to think everyone loved her, when in reality they just pretended to in a way to appease her and get her out of their hair.

Susan was the first person she'd met who wouldn't put up with her. She met her hostility with cool indifference that infuriated Jade to no end. She'd remarked their neighbour's new bride acted as though she was the Queen of England. George had laughed when Susan overheard the comment, and said that maybe she had been a queen in another life.

George, on the other hand, rather liked Susan. She was an interesting young woman, although she seemed a bit haunted at times. At first he'd thought it had to do with the rail accident that had claimed the lives of her family, but as he got to know her he realized there was more behind those sad blue eyes. It was something he couldn't place his finger on, but he knew somewhere deep inside she had lost something.

Either way, he rather liked her and not just because she got under his wife's skin. Susan had done wonders for Callum, who had lost his wife shortly after the birth of their son, Thomas. She'd come down with a terrible fever, which had claimed her life not long after. The death of his wife had hit Callum hard, and for awhile George thought he would never be able to move past it. He did all he could for Thomas, but it was obvious he was still hurting and grieving. At least that was until he'd met Susan Pevensie.

She had been working at a local restaurant near the harbour, where Callum worked as a long shore man. It only took a few visits for him to find himself taken in by the English girl with the sad blue eyes. It had surprised George when he'd begun talking about the young woman at the restaurant, so much so that he had to go see her himself.

When George had first met Susan, he'd been struck by her gentle beauty. There was a regal way about her, which seemed off putting to some people in the place, but to him it seemed to suit her. And it was obvious Callum liked it, or else he wouldn't be raving like a school boy with his first crush.

"Mr. Whitly, may we go home now? It is starting to get dark out," Thomas asked, as he tugged at the older man's jacket.

George jumped slightly and glanced down at the boy. A smile enveloped his face as he looked into the boy's curious brown eyes. "Well I don't know, you'll never get to play for the Canadiens if you continue to go home with your mum for cocoa every time it gets dark," he teased, to which Thomas wrinkled his nose.

"I would play for the Maple Leafs, I don't like your team," he frankly stated to which George laughed. That was one of the things he loved about Thomas, he had no trouble telling you what he thought.

Susan perked up some when her step son hobbled over to her, finding it hard to move through the deep snow with his skates and hockey stick. She grinned and quietly asked him if he was ready to go home. Thomas was quick to nod, he wanted some hot cocoa and to sit by a warm fire.

* * *

Callum sat on a chair in the drawing room, watching as Susan read a book and Thomas played with some toy soldiers on the floor. It was something he never thought he'd have again: a happy family. When Laura had passed on he thought he could never love again, and it pained him to remember how he neglected Thomas in the months following his wife's death.

He didn't blame the child by any means, but to look at the small boy with the unruly curls the same shade of brown as Laura's was hard. He was thankfully the boy's eyes were brown like his own, instead of her sparkling blue. But he still had the mischievous smile Laura always wore when she was up to no good.

Callum had been certain he would never be happy again, he tried for his son and that was the only effort he put into being happy. His mother had reprimanded him horribly for how he neglected the boy and threatened to take the child away if he did not 'smarten up', as she had put it. The thought of losing his only connection to Laura did sober him up greatly. He had lost his wife; he did not wish to lose his son as well.

Then he met Susan Pevensie at the little cafe by the docks, the waitress with the sad blue eyes. Why she had taken a shine to him he could never figure out but he had been overjoyed to discover she fancied him as much as he did her. She always said they were lost souls, that was the reason they had found one another.

Whatever had brought them together didn't matter to him, he was just happy to feel whole once more. A part of him would always love Laura and long for the day he could see her again, but he knew Susan was his present and future.

"Honestly Callum, you need to stop daydreaming so much. Aislinn has been crying like a banshee for the last five minutes!" Susan admonished as she swept across the room to take the baby up in her arms.

He jumped slightly when he felt her take the baby from his arms. He really had been so lost in thought he hadn't even heard his daughter crying, and Thomas was so intent on his toys he hadn't bothered to inform his father, in no uncertain terms, to shut the baby up.

"Well, you know how it is, leave it long enough and the mother will come and fix everything up," he teased, to which Susan rolled her eyes.

She sniffed as she made her way out of the room, soothing Aislinn as she went. "Honestly, if you men didn't have a woman around I don't think you'd survive."

Callum grinned but refrained from answering back. Normally he delighted in a battle of wits with his wife, but tonight he was tired from a long day at work. Some days there wasn't a lot to do at the dock, but those were few and far between. Today had been one of those days it seemed they just couldn't stay on top of the work and he knew there were more ships set to come into the harbour tomorrow. All he wanted that evening was to relax with his family.

* * *

"Well, I say it isn't that hard of a problem to solve. At least it shouldn't be, but not everyone can be as intelligent as myself," Eustace stated as they all lounged by a river, enjoying the sun.

Lucy wrinkled her nose, she really hated when their cousin got like that. For the most part he had become a rather level headed boy, but every so often he put on those airs and it got under everyone's skin. Some days she was convinced Peter was going to hold him under the water until bubbles quit surfacing.

When no one answered, Eustace continued on. "It would seem no one is listening to me. Fine then, I won't tell you my idea, and it is brilliant if I do say so myself," he huffed.

"Oh fine Scrubbs, what is your idea?" Jill Pole inquired, obviously deciding to humour him instead of allowing him to sulk for awhile. That had obviously been the plan the Pevensie children were going with.

Eustace grinned, enjoying the attention. "Why doesn't one of us go back and help Susan find her way? It is all well and fine here with you lot, but you must admit, it isn't the same without her. It shouldn't be that difficult to find her, put some sense into her flighty little head and get her here."

At that, Peter groaned. He longed to have his sister here just as much as the rest of them, but it was impossible. "Eustace, you oaf, I do believe we've gone over this more times than I can possibly count. The reason we cannot return and talk some sense into Susan is because we died. We'd be nothing but a wisp of air to her as she passes us by. The last time I checked, wisps of air cannot speak."

"I didn't say one of us, if you'd just listen..." he began to counter when Edmund jumped in.

"You did say one of us, I distinctly heard you say _one of us_ so don't you try going back and rewording it. I am with Peter on this; we cannot go back, all we can do is hope one day Susan remembers everything on her own, although I don't understand why she forgot in the first place," he mumbled as he pulled a blade of grass out of the ground and twirled it in his long fingers.

At that Eustace growled slightly; why didn't they even try to let him explain before they jumped all over his ideas? "You're all a bunch of louts! I'll go talk to the person who actually will understand my plans, seeing as you simpletons will not!"

With that said, he stormed off leaving Jill, Lucy, Peter and Edmund watching him with rather confused expressions. His plan made absolutely no sense, who exactly did he fancy he would convince it would work?

**~*~  
TBC  
~*~**

_Authour's Note: If you are reading this and wondering why it is familiar, I had the beginning posted quite awhile back and for some reason, beyond any reasoning of my own, I took down all my stories. I'm sorry for doing so, and have decided to come back and revisit this one. It may update quickly, or it may take quite some time between chapters. I will slowly re-upload my other stories as well and hopefully so new ones. I hope you enjoy and reviews are always appreciated._

_I'm sorry if anyone sounds slightly out of character, it has been awhile but I am sure I will get back into the flow soon enough. I just wanted to get this up before I lost the nerve to do so. Also...I don't know why my breaks don't show up in this, I'm reuploading this chapter and hoping it works this time, because for some reason I just cannot seem to insert them after the fact._


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